Researchers conducted a study to see if there is a link between working in a traditional office environment and an increased risk of heart failure. Following 82,000 men, ages 45 to 69, over 10 years led to the conclusion that men who don’t exercise regularly and whose jobs require them to sit for five or more hours per day are twice as likely to develop heart failure than their more active counterparts.

What is heart failure?

Heart failure occurs when your heart muscle is no longer able to efficiently and effectively pump blood through your body. Unlike an acute attack, which causes the heart to stop beating, heart failure is a drawn-out process whose victims experience continually diminished quality of life over an extended period of time.

What does my job have to do with it?

Most Americans are stuck behind a desk for upwards of 9 hours each day. This sedentary behavior puts you at risk of developing serious medical conditions like high blood pressure, decreased circulation, and obesity; all factors directly linked to heart failure.

Avoid becoming a statistic

To avoid becoming a statistic, researchers recommend standing at least 10 minutes every hour. The easiest way to accomplish this without interrupting your workday is with a standing desk by Xdesk. With the click of a button, you can transform your traditional seated desk into a standing model. Conversely, when you’ve fulfilled your standing goal, you can easily convert back to a seated arrangement with the click of a button.

In addition to incorporating the practice of standing while working into your daily routine, be sure to build active time into your schedule as well. Simple actions like taking time to stretch at your desk or going for a stroll around your corporate campus can make a tremendous difference in your overall health and wellbeing. Take getting moving a step further by scheduling walk and talk meetings instead of flopping down in chairs in your favorite meeting room.

While our culture is one that revolves around seated tasks, it’s your responsibility to challenge those norms. Standing at least 10 minutes every hour and consciously adding more activity to your workday can significantly reduce your risk of heart failure. If you’re struggling finding additional ways to increase your activity level at work, Rutgers University has some great tips to keep you active and reduce your risk of heart failure.

The post Is Your Job Increasing Your Risk of Heart Failure? appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

To re-inspire your drive to stand most of the day, here’s a list of the top 10 sitting and standing facts. After reading through these, you may find yourself adjusting your desk and standing more often.

1. One in three Americans is obese, and obese people sit more than 2.5 hours per day than thin people.

2. The bodies calorie burning ability drops to 1 per minute and electrical activity in the leg muscles shut off the moment you sit down.

3. Men and women who sit for more than 23 hours a week are 64% more likely to die from heart disease.

4. Thirty minutes to an hour of daily exercise is not enough to counteract the negative effects of prolonged sitting.

5. Good cholesterol drops by 20% after just two hours of sitting down.

6. A study published by the CDC found that sit to stand devices are an effective method to generate health benefits and combat the negative effects of sitting all day.

7. Standing the majority of the day has been said to increase concentration, focus and overall productivity at the office.

8. A study from the University of Chester found that standing during the week can be the equivalent to running 10 marathons a year.

9. Standing for most of the day has the potential to burn 30,000 more calories in a year. That’s about eight pounds of fat.

10. Regular, brisk walking can help prevent heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

The facts continue to go on from here, and we’re sure there will be more to come. So keep standing, moving and stretching throughout your workday to start experiencing better health that you deserve!

The post Top 10 Sitting and Standing Facts appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

A new study found that standing for just a few hours a day has amazing health benefits, and you’ll burn a ton of calories along the way.

Researchers at the University of Chester and the BBC took a group of 10 volunteers and asked them to stand at least three hours out of their day. The volunteers wore an accelerometer that measured their movements, heart rate monitors and glucose monitors.

The results were shocking at best (or maybe not that surprising if you already own an adjustable height desk or even a treadmill desk).

The volunteer’s had a much higher heart rate while they stood. It was about 10 beats per minute faster, so think about this in the long-term. That 10 beat increase adds up to 50 more calories burned per hour when compared to sitting. Throughout the entire year: about 30,000 more calories or eight pounds of fat.

The results also showed that the volunteers’ blood glucose levels normalized much quicker after eating than compared to days when they sat. High glucose means an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes, but standing for a few hours really does make a difference in lessening that risk.

According to Dr. Buckley from the study, “If you want to put [the results] into activity levels then that would be the equivalent of running about 10 marathons a year just by standing up three or four hours in your day at work.”

And there you have it: standing is good for your health, so much so that standing burns calories similar to running 10 marathons a year. Yes, we’ll emphasize that again – 10 marathons a year!

This isn’t the only study done to prove that standing benefits your health. In case you missed it, check out the study from ReadWrite, the technology blog. The participants reported increased concentration levels and better productivity at work. Standing desks really are the gifts that keep on giving!

And thanks to Lifehacker for sharing the great news!

What do you think about the results, does it make you want to stand more often during the day?

The post University of Chester Study: Standing Burns Serious Calories appeared first on Xdesk Blog.

Sitting for long periods of time increases your risk of disease, obesity and can even shorten your lifespan

Okay, I hate to sound dramatic, but unfortunately, I’m not exaggerating. Study after study in recent years has shown us what health horrors sitting for long periods of time can do to our bodies. It can cause weight gain, varicose veins, fatigue, disease, and yes, even an earlier death. Of course using an adjustable height desk or standing desk is just one way to combat these problems; but we’ll get back to that in a moment. For now…

The Five Frights of Sitting! (Okay, now I’m being a little dramatic.)

1) We spend 8.5 hours a day in front of a screen. In 2009, Ball State University researchers found that Americans spend almost 9 hours sitting in front of some kind of screen—be it a computer, TV, iPhone, tablet, etc. Another survey conducted around the same time found a similar (and terrifying!) statistic: we spend 153 hours a month watching TV. And that doesn’t include anything watched online or on a smartphone!

2) Only 31 percent of people get the recommended 30 minutes of moderate physical activity 5 days a week—40 percent don’t get any kind of regular exercise at all. Ultimately all of this leads to about 33 percent of the entire week spent sitting. So what does that mean for you?

3) Sitting makes you fat. Obese people tend to sit 2.5 hours a day more than thin or healthy people. Why? For one, when you’re sitting, you are burning less than 1 calorie per hour. The enzymes that break down fat in your body also decrease by 90 percent when you’re sitting. Yes, this happens as soon as you sit down.

4) Sitting stops the flow of blood. When you sit for long periods of time, the blood flow to your legs and feet slows, which among other health concerns, increases your risk for varicose veins (ew!) and hemorrhoids (EW!)

5) Sitting increases your risk for all kinds of diseases.

– Cardiovascular Disease: People who sit all day at work are 2 times as likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people who alternate between sitting and standing. After just 2 hours of siting, your good cholesterol drops by 20 percent, increasing your risk for heart disease.

– Diabetes: After 24 hours of sitting, your insulin effectiveness drops by 24 percent and your risk of diabetes increases.

– Skin cancer: This might sound strange, but it’s true. Three out of four Americans have an increased risk of skin cancer, partly because of sitting inside so much. A recent study in Medical Hypotheses discovered that people who sit inside (watching TV, surfing the web, working, etc.) are more likely to get skin cancer because they lack the vitamin D that natural sunlight provides. So when they do go outside and get some sun, without enough vitamin D, their bodies are unable to fight off melanoma.

So what can you do if you have a desk job? First, take a deep breath; don’t burst into your boss’s office with your resignation. Now let’s look into an adjustable height desk. An adjustable height desk is the ergonomic workstation of the 21^st century.

As you’ve clearly seen above, sitting all day isn’t exactly doing anyone any favors, so many people rush out and buy a standing desk. But being at a standing desk for eight hours straight isn’t ideal either. That’s why an adjustable height desk is the perfect combination. With an adjustable height desk you burn more calories, improve your posture and you are free to move.

Check out our next post on a brief history of the adjustable height desk. And no, this won’t be your typical boring recap—the adjustable height desk actually has some pretty crazy beginnings!

How many hours a day do you sit? How does it affect your life? Comment below!

The post Why Sitting is Killing You appeared first on Xdesk Blog.